Baalke: 'We're Looking For Value' As Jaguars Head Into Free Agency
If there’s one word to describe Trent Baalke’s approach to impending free agency, it’s “value.”
The Jacksonville Jaguars general manager, speaking with local media on Wednesday, circled back to the value thought process several times as he previewed the club’s path into free agency and the 2020 NFL Draft.
"We're looking at a lot of different positions and a lot of different players and the keyword there [is] value; we’re looking for value.”
The Jaguars have just over $73 million in cap space for the coming season, the highest in the league. The key now, according to Baalke, will be spending it smartly.
“That isn't always the most expensive player. There's all different levels of ‘like.’ When we say we like a player, you know, to what level, and what value do we place on him? So that's going to be critical as we build this team out moving forward, is making sure we get the value of the position in the player correct.”
The league recently set the salary cap for this coming season at $182.5 million, a number down 8% from the previous year. It was affected by the global pandemic COVID-19 disrupting the 2020 season. Baalke—who was promoted to full-time GM following Dave Caldwell’s firing last season—says the club figured it would be around that number and planned as such.
For the franchise who spent the past two seasons dumping expensive contracts, they’re well situated to take full advantage of free agency when it opens on March 17, and plan on doing just that.
"We're always going to look to push the envelope and spend to the cap on a three-year rolling cycle, whether you're above or below, but over a three year period hoping to spend to the cap and we have an ownership that's willing to do that and we want to do that so we're gonna -- we're gonna use the dollars,” admitted Baalke.
Head Coach Urban Meyer, speaking with local media on Tuesday, revealed he and the coaching staff did a deep dive on their current roster, what’s available, and how to best spend the available money in a way that fits the biggest needs.
“The coordinator, along with his staff, put together the top ten needs in order to be a functioning offense in the NFL. Then, Trent [Baalke], myself, and his staff are now putting it together and that’s where the term that Trent likes to use – the value. I don’t think we’re in position just because we have a lot of holes—we [were] 1-15 [in 2020].
“There’s some quality players here, but there’s also a lot of holes, so that’s where we’re going to rely on Trent’s experience, and his other guys on his staff, on how much it costs. To answer your question, there will be some guys we don’t feel like it’s the right thing to go on because it would just eliminate other opportunities for other players.”
As for how that money will be spent, Baalke is holding his cards close to the vest. Meyer mentioned the quarterback, of course, as being a position that will be addressed soon. Then the secondary, the wide receiver room and the tight end unit as areas that needed attention. Baalke doesn’t want to get too specific though as to which will receive the most attention in free agency.
“We do, we really do but again there, any information I give you, I'm giving to 31 other teams so for me to sit here and give you a punch line of positionally of we're going wouldn't make a lot of sense at this time so I hope you understand that and respect that.
The overarching theme though, will of course be “value.” It’s what will drive every decision as the Jacksonville Jaguars create a new roster to compete in 2021.
Concluded Baalke, “I spoke earlier about value. I think value is critical. You know, you have to get the value of the players right and just like building a stock portfolio, if you get a bunch of overpaid, you know overpriced stocks, you buy high and sell low, eventually that catches up with you. So we want to treat the players—right and value them correctly and bring them into the organization, and give them the best of the best, and that's what we're looking to do.”
